Identity Theft or Identity Take Over Fraud is a modern
reality that hits some 500,000 Americans every year, that is some 1,400
people every day! Some 42 percent of all FTC complaints involve identity
theft. This is becoming a serious problem that affects us in many areas of
our lives, such as bank fraud, credit card fraud, fraudulent loans,
government documents or loans, and unauthorized utility or telephone
service charges. In the year 2000, over 20 percent of all the complaints
the Federal Trade Commission received involved identity theft.

Everyone of us must become more aware of how to safeguard our name and credit records with the use of personal identifiers.

Some personal actions you can take include the following :

Get a yearly copy of your credit report from each of the three major
credit reporting companies. See the BCN Credit Bureaus page
for current addresses.

Do not give out personal information over the telephone
or any Internet connection without getting a clear statement of how it
is going to be used. In particular, note that most web sites have a
(often obscure) link to their policy in this area. Review their policy
on Cookies

Destroy (shred or obliterate your name and
identification) any unauthorized credit card applications you get in the
mail.

Keep track of all uses of your social security number.
Contact the Social Security Administration Fraud Hotline at
(800)269-0271 and report the problem.

Contact the Colorado State Department of Motor Vehicles
(303)205-5600 and see if they have issued a licence in your name. Do
inform them you have been a victim of Identity Theft.

As of 03-05-2002, the Federal
Trade Commission has an ID-THEFT Affidavit form to alert
businesses that their name has been used fraudulently to open an
account. Call (877)438-4338 and ask for a copy of their free brochure -
ID Theft: When Bad Things happen to Your Good Name.

As of June 2, 2001, some insurance companies have announced that they
are offering ID theft insurance to cover the aftermath of a stolen
identity, which the victim must cover and can take upwards of two to
four years to fully recover. Check with your insurance carrier about the
possibility.

Another problem is that many companies regard all their
data about you such as private financial information, account balances,
debits and credits to be their intellectual property and theirs to sell
as they wish. This is part of the "opt-out" legislation that such
companies had until June 1st, 2001, to give you a chance to request that
your personal information not be distributed. Here are a few numbers
to call to prevent credit card companies, banks and whoever else from
sharing your information with the world: